Photo-a-Day  (Friday, 18th December, 2020)

This photo reminds me of walking Mary Major past that North Sea gas pipe line marker post, (daughter of owd Theo) she was proper old fashioned and at 23 years of age still wore white ankle socks.

I don't expect she had holes in her socks.

Good photo Mick. I am not familiar with that area of Wigan but it looks nice, It's heartening to see the sunshine lighting up the houses and the chimneys are a reminder of childhood and coal fires, when Dads held a sheet of the Wigan Evening Post and Chronicle over the fireplace to get the fire to "draw". What memories a photo can bring back!

Irene this is Appley Bridge, not an area of Wigan. It doeshave the same River though, and the same canal.

IRENE, your mention of fire 'draw' reminds me of a story my mother in law told me 50 or more years ago.
Early one morning, my father in law had prepared the fire before going to work, he lit the fire and put a newspaper against a shovel to draw ( the shovel probably had a hole in it because of its regular use in this way). He said i'm going love, he went out of the house, opened the door about 10 seconds later and shouted, ''Annie, chimney's on fire'' and proceeded to go to work.

And you can buy the Wigan Evening Post and the Observer

I remember the newspaper over the shovel. I used to amuse myself reading it upside down! Sometimes it was the News of The World. There was a naughty cartoon of a partially dressed woman on the pages sometimes! It was then they stopped getting the paper for The People!

I sent a post earlier but it hasn't appeared so here goes again. Apologies if it appears twice. Bloke on a Bike, I apologise for the mix-up over Appley Bridge....I have always thought of it as being a part of Wigan but I am happy to stand corrected. I always imagined that if I was writing to someone there I would address the envelope, (and this is fictional because I don't know anyone there!), "Mr. Smith, 2, Church Lane, Appley Bridge, Wigan, WN.......".What actually would be the address? Would it be just Appley Bridge, Lancs, WN.....? This is by no means meant be rude, Bloke on a Bike. I am just curious as to what district covers Appley Bridge. We all just take things for granted sometimes and I like to learn if I have been mistaken. I have learned a lot from photo-a-day over the years.
Roy, that was so funny, but I bet Annie didn't think so!
Mick, I know you can still get The Evening Post and I get The Wigan Observer every week. I was just saying for people who may not remember it that The Evening Post used to be The Post and Chronicle at one time. It was a real arm-stretcher and very suitable for fitting over the fireplace. I remember the paper-lad on his bike in Ince Green Lane shouting "Chronicaaaaaal!".

Irene if you had fictionally wrote to 3 Church lane Shevington it would have come to our house

Irene-Appley Bridge straddles two local authorities but has a Wigan post code WN6. Part of AB is in the admin area of Greater Manchester (how I hate it that many people describe it as such-always Lancashire to me!) and part of AB comes under West Lancs Local Authority.

Irene, and before that it was the Lancashire Evening Post (Wigan edition) and the Evening Chronicle was a separate paper, tabloid size even then. printed in Manchester but also sold in Wigan.

Lovely view's from the back's of those houses. Whoever lives in them.

I think part of Appley Bridge might be in Wigan metro borough and part in West Lancashire.

Wow, Mick! I could have popped in for a cup of tea, or perhaps a glass of "Owd Tom", which I've just bought from the Co-op for Christmas, and a good old gossip, (perhaps invited your friend and mine Dennis Miller too). Thankyou everyone for the replies.....how interesting! I agree with you, "fedup"...I will NEVER say I live in Greater Manchester, any more than I will ever eat Greater Manchester Hot-Pot or Greater Manchester Cheese!

I lived in Roby Mill, which is just up the hill from Appley Bridge, and our address was a Roby Mill, Skelmerdale, Lancs.

Beech Hill is an area of Wigan, as is Swinley, Springfield, Poolstock and Scholes. I live in Lowton and my address is Warrington, Cheshire, WA3, but my council is Wigan Council and our milkman lives in Newton le Willows.
I read once that Wigan used to be part of Newton le Willows. Strange, as they have a Mesnes Park too.

This beautiful hamlet- looking place, could be far much better , if they chatted to each other about the windows and extensions. I would get rid of all the extensions, roof ones as well, and put solid wooden windows the same for each house. I would have nice gardens where the extensions are (no not on the roof) I would make those like the rest. Job done!

Look like council houses!

Eyup, what we have here is people who say they live in Wigan when they don't and never have done, yet they refuse to say they live in Greater Manchester when they do and have done since 1974. That's not normal behaviour. Does any of you know what day it is?

Thanks for getting back, Bloke on a Bike. I'm in Abram so not that far from Lowton and yet you are in Cheshire! It's nice, is Lowton. How odd that all our addresses vary so much. We have friends from the 1940s re-enactment groups who live in Yorkshire and who mourn the loss of the old "Ridings" in their postal addresses and I admit I would too. I have really enjoyed reading all the comments . Goodnight everyone.

Irene, my address might be Warrington, Cheshire, but that's where my letters coma from. Really it's neither in Warrington or Cheshire, it's Lowton, in Greater Manchester, like Abram is.

I still have family in Wigan & our son lives in Littleborough....Lancs is always put on any envelope...never Greater Manchester.

I wonder how many people on here, whilst criticising everyone else, actually put "Greater Manchester" as their address when filling in a form? No, I don't actually live in the town of Wigan itself, where all the shops are, (how many do?). I live two miles out of it, but my postal address isn't correct if I don't put "Wigan" between "Abram" and "Lancashire", or, (God forbid!), "Greater Manchester". Same with Ince, Pemberton, Haigh, Worsley Mesnes etc etc etc. ......they all have "Wigan" after them on an addressed envelope. I remember when I was a child that people used to put "Ince,". (or wherever), followed by "Near Wigan" until the Post Office issued a "correct addressing" pamphlet stating that the "Near" was unnecessary and incorrect. Helen, well done for sticking to Lancashire on your envelopes....I bet they all reached their destination; I have a feeling even the postmen would be surprised to see Greater Manchester on an envelope.

Lancashire is not a postal area and neither is Greater Manchester, so you shouldn't put either of them on an envelope. House number, street name and posttown is enough. House number followed by postcode will suffice.
Irene, it seems you don't even know where the town Wigan is and isn't, there's more to it than town-centre shops and it's more than 2 miles from Abram.

I ALWAYS Put LANCS on my address whether it's correct or not. Furthermore any mail I get from Australia is addressed With Lancashire on it. As long as the postcode is on it will get there and even when the postcode isn't on it! How very dare they get rid of our Counties! Buffoons! I dare say there's not many who do use Grtr Manchester. I never have and never will.

Only a nut-case would Veronica, like James has already said Greater Manchester is not a postal area. Not many can comprehend that a postal area, a local authority and a telephone code are totally different entities.

Would you say 'Wigan Turf and Topsoil' is a Liverpool based business? (look it up)

Yes, I know Abram is more than two miles away from Wigan, thankyou. The sign as you come out of Riverway and turn left towards Wigan Little Theatre says it is three miles. I was just generalising, not being precise. Whether those three miles are to the beginning of Abram as you come into it from Platt Bridge, the end of Abram near the Dover Lock or the highest point near the church, I have no idea. Yes I do know that Wigan comprises more than shops. My son lives in Wigan, (away from the shops), where Springfield Park used to stand, and it is quite correct to write his address as just "Wigan", but a lot of people put "Springfield, Wigan" or "Springfield Park, Wigan" because they like the sound of it and they want to! If it reaches him, that's all that matters. When we used to receive a Telephone Directory, issued by The Post Office, I took note of how they showed the correct addressing of an envelope and I have stuck to that as I assumed The Post Office was the expert. However, we no longer seem to receive telephone directories and maybe things have changed. Thankyou for putting me right, James. I wish you and yours all the best for Christmas. xx

Run, Forest, Run !

I have a friend who lives on the 'new' housing estates where the old Platt Lane used to be. It must be the longest address I have to write-
Mrs Suchabody
'Somewhere' Rise
Off Platt Lane
Scholes
Wigan
Lancs
WN -----
Old habits die hard!

In contrast Veronica , you could apparently address the envelope

Elvis
Tennessee .

and it would get there !

Same with Father Christmas too Poet...;o))

When you're a postman in Wigan, Life is like a box of chocolates.....You never know what you're gonna get!